This is a World Cup for the history books, and on June 23, Cristiano Ronaldo did his part in Portugal’s 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan.
At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to shatter records and rewrite history. The Portuguese star has just become the first soccer player to score in six different World Cups, adding a monumental feat to his legendary career after leading the crushing 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan. As expected, he was named Man of the Match.
With this victory, the Portuguese squad surges to the top of Group K with four points. Colombia, which has three points, will look to respond tonight when it faces DR Congo in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Silencing the critics with goals
During the week, critics were out in full force, questioning whether CR7 should remain in the starting lineup after a lackluster performance in the bitter 1-1 draw against the Congo. But coach Roberto Martínez placed his blind trust in his superstar, and the gamble paid off almost immediately.
Just six minutes in, Cristiano put his team on the board by volleying a pinpoint cross from João Cancelo with his right foot. The celebration? His unmistakable, deafening “SIIII!”, followed by a dash toward the bench to embrace all his teammates.
Nuno Mendes extended the lead with a superb free kick in the 17th minute. Later, in the 39th minute, “El Bicho” struck again: he received a pass from Bruno Fernandes and fired a powerful right-footed shot at the near post to make it 3-0 and secure his brace.
A five-goal rout to seal the massacre
Uzbekistan’s nightmare continued in the second half. An own goal in the 60th minute made it 4-0. To cap off the rout, Rafael Leão—who had come on as a substitute in the 83rd minute—scored the fifth goal (5-0) in the 87th minute, taking the time to crouch down, smile, and pose for the cameras in the midst of his celebration.
Uzbekistan had a fleeting moment of hope in the first half (30′) when midfielder Azizjon Ganiev found the back of the net, but VAR dashed their hopes by disallowing the goal due to a prior foul by Abbosbek Fayzullaev on João Cancelo.
Tactical adjustments for Portugal
Although Martínez kept his faith in Cristiano intact, he did shake up the rest of his lineup: he benched Bernardo Silva to bring in João Félix, and brought back star defender Rúben Dias—who missed the opener due to injury—to take Tomas Araújo’s place.
Ronaldo’s historic night could have been even more spectacular. Just four minutes in, he came close to scoring after diving to connect with a cross from Mendes, gesturing with his hand to indicate that the ball had missed by millimeters. At the end of the match, deep into stoppage time, he came close to a hat trick, but his shot went just wide.
The final matches in the group are set to be explosive this coming Saturday. Uzbekistan will try to salvage some pride against Congo in Atlanta, while Portugal will face off in a true clash of titans against Colombia in Miami.
